JP2008500503A - Ribbed pipe clamp with sealing sleeve - Google Patents

Abstract

  A pipe coupler for use in connecting end pairs of automobile exhaust pipes, each having a circumferential rib. The pipe coupler includes a ribbed strip and an internal split sealing sleeve with a clamping mechanism for tightening the strip and sleeve on the end of the pipe. The sealing sleeve fits within the band, and both the sleeve and the band have a pair of ribs positioned to fit the ribs on the end of the pipe. The sleeve extends circumferentially from the first end to the second end and includes a tongue and groove sealing arrangement at the first and second ends that are axially inward of the ribs. Each tongue has a specific structure that provides the larger clamp opening dimensions required to fit the coupler over the pipe ribs during assembly. The sleeve may include an inwardly projecting sealing bead that helps prevent leakage of exhaust gases from the pipe joint.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION This invention relates generally to pipe clamps, and more particularly to band clamps and pipe couplers used to connect pipes or other tubular members together in a nested or end-to-end configuration.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION A typical automobile exhaust system includes a tube or pipe assembly that transports engine exhaust. Each individual pipe section is connected to another pipe section to form a complete exhaust system assembly. Such connections are mostly telescoping or abutting connections end to end. In order to be effective, the connection formed between these pipes must provide a suitable fluid-proof seal against exhaust gas leakage. Furthermore, this connection must have a high degree of mechanical strength and must be disassembled for possible maintenance and repair.

  Pipe couplers are often used in exhaust systems where pipe sections are joined axially in an end-to-end configuration. Conventional pipe couplers have a generally annular structure and include bands that terminate in opposing connecting flanges that can be pulled or loosened together via a fastener or other clamping mechanism. A reaction member may be provided between the flanges to provide a uniform distribution of circumferential force on the pipe as the band is tightened. Often, pipe couplers include an internal divided sealing sleeve with interlocking circumferential ends that engage one another during tightening to create a hermetic seal. U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2002/0014772 A1 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,758,501 to Amedure et al.) Published on Feb. 7, 2002 is such a one having a split sealing sleeve. An example of a pipe coupler, the entire contents of which published application is incorporated herein by reference.

  In the Amedure patent, each tongue of the segmented sealing sleeve shown in FIGS. 3-7 includes a pair of spring members that engage the converging side edges of the associated grooves during clamping, the spring members being They are deflected inward toward each other as they are pushed further into the groove. The outward force of the spring arm against the angled side edge of the groove maintains good contact with the side edge of the groove to provide a seal against gas leakage. In this Amedure patent, the portion where the tongue and groove engage is toward the axial extent of the sleeve. Specifically, the center of the portion where each tongue and groove engages is spaced from its nearest axial end of the sealing sleeve by a distance of about 17-22% of the overall axial width of the sleeve.

  A ribbed band clamp originally designed for catalytic converters and diesel particulate filters having a much larger diameter than typical automotive exhaust pipes is disclosed in US Patent Application Publication No. 2003/2003/2003, published on January 23, 2003. 0015872 A1 (now US Pat. No. 6,877,780 to Potts et al.), The entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. The band clamp rib engages a corresponding bead or rib of an exhaust system canister (or other tubular body) connected to provide a bond with good strength against pulling (separating) forces. To do. In order to prevent gas leakage, one of the disclosed clamps has a structure in which tongues and grooves engage in another pair of ribs of a strap section where the circumferential end of the band itself is provided as part of the tightening mechanism The gasket is used with some form of tongue and groove sealing structure from the Amedure patent with

  Although the band clamp in the Potts patent can also be used for exhaust component canisters and smaller diameter pipes, the inventors have found that the band clamp design disclosed in the Potts patent is suitable for certain automotive exhaust applications. Found that it does not provide a sufficiently powerful and airtight connection. Similarly, Amedure's patented pipe couplers are suitable for many automotive applications, but still within the automotive industry, pipe couplers with improved performance with respect to pull strength, tightness, and / or various other parameters. Need to develop.

The present invention is directed to a pipe clamp, such as a coupler, for connecting together the ends of two abutting pipes. The pipe clamp includes a ribbed strip and an internal divided sealing sleeve with a clamping mechanism for clamping the strip and sleeve on the end of the pipe. The strip has a body portion and a pair of opposing flanges extending radially from the body portion, the body portion extending circumferentially from a first one of the flanges to a second one of the flanges. The strip has a first pair of outwardly projecting spaced ribs extending at least partially circumferentially along the body portion. The divided sealing sleeve has first and second ends, and the sleeve extends circumferentially within the band from its first end to its second end. The sleeve includes a second pair of spaced ribs extending at least partially between the first and second ends, each of the second pair of ribs being a first pair of ribs. Projecting radially into the associated one. The first and second ends include a pair of tongues spaced by the first ends, and the second ends are spaced apart grooves each axially aligned with one of the tongues. Including a mating end having a configuration in which a tongue and groove containing a pair of seals. The ribs are preferably on the axially outer side of the configuration in which the tongue and groove seal such that the tongue and groove are along a radially flat portion of the sleeve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the drawings, various embodiments of the present invention are shown, each in the form of a pipe coupler specifically adapted for use in an automobile engine exhaust system. As the description proceeds, it will be understood that the present invention is useful in many different applications and a wide variety of embodiments. For example, the present invention is not only for pipe couplers that allow ribbed pipes to be connected in end-to-end configurations, but typically on a pair of pipes that are telescopically connected. It can also be used for band clamps that are tightened. As used herein, the term “pipe clamp” is used to refer to both pipe couplers and band clamps. Further, the terms axial, angularly, and radial indicate the direction with respect to the annular (rounded) shape of the pipes and pipe couplers shown, and the axial direction is rounded. Extending along an axis of the shape, the radial direction extends radially away from this axis, and is angled to indicate a position at a point around the pipe coupler.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the illustrated pipe coupler 10 includes a band 12, a tightening mechanism 14, and a divided sealing sleeve 16. The band 12 is an open band and includes a cylindrical body portion 18 and a pair of opposing flanges 20 extending from the body portion 18 to the radially outermost loop 22 of the flange. The flange 20 includes an abutment surface that engages the opposite side of the reaction member 24 therebetween during band tightening. The tightening mechanism 14 includes a reaction member 24 and a force bar 26 with a pair of nut and bolt fasteners 28 that pass through the holes in the flange, reaction member and force bar. The head of the bolt may be an elongated semicircular shape as is known and shown at 28 in FIG. Any of the clamping mechanisms discussed in the above-mentioned US Pat. Nos. 6,758,501 and 6,877,780 may be used, as described in US Pat. No. 4,813,720. The member may be press fit into the spline of the fastener 28.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other clamping mechanisms can be used, including those that do not utilize a reaction member.

  The coupler 10 is an adapter for use with pipe ends 30, 32 that each include circumferential ribs 31, 33 each projecting radially outward. Since these ribs 31 and 33 are axially inward from the end faces of the ends of each pipe at a distance sufficient to abut and connect the ends of the two pipes within the coupler 10, the sealing sleeve 16 is The space between the two ribs 31, 33 can be folded tightly with a good sealing contact against the ends of both pipes. The ribs 31, 33 preferably project radially by about 2-3 mm and have an axial width of about 5-10 mm. If a nested lap is used, the ribs 31, 33 can be positioned on their respective pipes, so that the clamp extends over one rib on the overlapping section of the connection and has a smaller diameter. The non-overlapping section of the end of the pipe extends to and over the other rib. A stepped clamp arrangement as disclosed in US Pat. No. 4,261,600 to Cassel can also be used.

  Still referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the segmented sealing sleeve 16 is radially within the band 12 and during tightening of the band 12 to assist in providing a hermetic seal for the coupler 10 across the end of the pipe. It includes a pair of intermeshing circumferential ends 34, 36 that engage one another. At each axial end of the band 12 is a single rib 40 that extends circumferentially around the body portion 18 of the band. These ribs 40 end at the flange 20. The sealing sleeve 16 also has ribs 42 corresponding to each of its axial ends, which are sized and axially positioned to fit the ribs 40 of the strip 12. The ribs 42 are preferably shaped to closely follow the inner surface of the corresponding rib 40 of the band. The ribs 40, 42 of each component also have an inner surface of the rib 42 of the sealing sleeve 16 on the ends of the two pipes when axially aligned with the pipe ends 30, 32 together. The ribs 31 and 33 are shaped to engage and closely follow and spaced from each other. As shown in FIG. 1, the mating ends 34, 36 of the sealing sleeve are offset at an angle from the opening 44 of the strip 12 in the flange 20, thereby sealing when the pipe coupler is tightened. Improve airtightness.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the segmented sealing sleeve 16 is configured to engage the tongue and groove as disclosed in FIGS. 3-7 of US Pat. No. 6,758,501 to Amedure et al. You may have. As described more fully in the Amedure patent, each tongue 50 is a spring member that engages the angled side wall of the groove 52 when the tongue is pushed into the groove during coupler clamping. It has a central slot that forms a pair. The resiliency of the spring member maintains intimate contact between the outer edge of each tongue 50 and the inner edge of its associated groove to prevent gas leakage along the interface of the two ends 34,36. prevent. The portion where the tongue and groove engage is axially between the ribs 42 along the radially flat portion of the sleeve, which is in the portion of the sleeve that does not include the inward or outward radial protrusion. Means. The portions where the tongue and groove engage are spaced from their nearest axial ends by a quarter of the overall width A of the sleeve. More specifically, the axial center of each tongue and groove is spaced from the nearest axial end of the sleeve by a distance B, where B is about one quarter of A. This position allows the use of the axial portion of the outside of the sleeve relative to the ribs 42 and meets the end of the pipe to help minimize the amount of gas leakage from the pipe. Sufficient axial separation of the portion where the tongue and groove engage from the central region is obtained.

As also shown in FIG. 3, the outward extent of the mating ends 34, 36 of the sleeve 16 may be recessed in a stepped manner as shown at 46, which is the rib 42 itself. Has occurred. Alternatively, in the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the step 48 may occur axially between the ribs 42. End 3 for an interference fit into tongue 52 of tongue 50
4, 36 need not abut each other at the ribs or outside the ribs. This is shown in FIG. 5, where the clamps are partially tightened and each tongue 50 enters its associated groove 52 and engages the angled side edges of each groove 52. Upon further tightening of the clamp, the spring member of each tongue 50 deflects inward, resulting in a tight double metal-to-metal connection between the ends of the sleeve on each side of the pipe joint. Other sealing configurations may be used. For example, the mating configuration disclosed in FIGS. 8 and 9 of US Pat. No. 6,758,501 may be used in addition to or instead of that shown in FIGS.

  While positioning the step 48 further inward, the embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 5 also includes axially changing the position of the portion where the tongue and groove engage. In this embodiment, tongue 50 and groove 52 are positioned further inward such that the axial center spacing B of each tongue and groove from the end of the sleeve is approximately equal to 28% of the overall sleeve width A. It has been.

  The sealing sleeve 16 would be suitable to provide the desired amount of seal against leaks from the joint of the pipe in most applications, but is added for low leak applications using an internal gasket 54. Sealing may be provided. This optional component is shown in FIG. The gasket 54 may be positioned in the central region of the sealing sleeve and may extend circumferentially and end somewhat shorter than the mating ends 34, 36 as shown in FIG. As discussed in the patent, it may extend all the way to the mating ends, or it may extend partially beyond one or both mating ends. Further, the gasket may extend axially to the rib 42 or may extend partially or fully into the rib as disclosed in the Potts patent.

  With reference to FIGS. 6-8, a third embodiment is shown. This embodiment is substantially the same as the first two embodiments, but differs in some notable features discussed below. Accordingly, the reference numbers used for elements of this embodiment are offset by 50 from similar elements of the first embodiment. As in the first two embodiments, the coupler 60 of FIG. 6 includes a band 62, a clamping mechanism 64, and a split sealing sleeve 66. The band 62 has a body portion 68 and a pair of opposing flanges 70 formed as a single extension of the body portion 68. The clamping mechanism includes a pair of reaction member 74, force bar 76 and fastener 78 that allows the coupler to be clamped by pulling the two flanges 70 together. The pipes 30 and 32 are the same as in FIG. 1 and include their respective radially projecting ribs 31 and 33. Band 62 and sleeve 66 each include a respective pair of ribs 90, 92.

  As best shown in FIG. 6, the axial width of ribs 90 and 92 is much greater than that of pipe ribs 31,33. Since the connection of the ribs does not depend on the tightness of the joint of the pipe, increasing the width of the ribs 90, 92 in this way both the insertion of the pipe during assembly and the position of the ribs 31, 33 themselves relative to the end face of the pipe. A certain degree of axial tolerance is obtained. This helps prevent misalignment of the ribs during assembly and helps eliminate the need to fit pipes and couplers due to manufacturing tolerances in rib positioning. For pipe ribs having a radial protrusion of about 2-3 mm and an axial width of 5-10 mm, the rib 92 of the sealing sleeve 66 can have the same 2-3 mm radial protrusion, but at least 10 mm. , Preferably with a width of less than 20 mm. In a highly preferred embodiment, a width of about 15 mm is used. The ribs 90 of the band 62 have radial protrusions and widths selected to closely follow the outer surface of the ribs 92.

The band 62 has an opening 94 between the flanges 70. Since the meshing end of the divided sealing sleeve 66 is offset from this opening 94 at an angle, the rib 92 extends over the opening. In the first embodiment, the reaction member 24 extends over the entire width of the opening 44, so that the reaction member 24 does not contact the sealing sleeve 16 in the central region between the ribs 42.
Above or above. In this third embodiment, the reaction member 74 is notched at its axial end of the bottom, as shown at 75, which provides a gap for the rib 92, and the reaction member 74 is the rib 92. To contact the radially flat section of the sealing sleeve 66 between the two. This helps to maintain a uniform radially inward force on the sleeve 66 at all points about the circumference of the sleeve 66. Notches may be provided at all four corners of the reaction block, so that it can be assembled to the flange in any of the four possible orientations.

  As shown in FIGS. 7-8, the sealing sleeve 66 has a configuration in which the tongue and groove with a longer tongue and groove and a different tongue design seal compared to those of the first two embodiments. use. Groove 102 is similar to groove 52 except that both have inner edges that converge towards each other at an angle of about 18 °. However, the groove 102 has a depth of about 1.5 to 2 times the depth of the groove 52. In one preferred embodiment, the groove 102 has a depth of about 18 mm. The tongue 100 is best shown in FIG. 7 and includes a pair of spring members 110 each formed as a single extension from the end of the sleeve 66. The spring members 110 each extend from the distal end 112 to the free end 114, each including an inner edge 116 and an outer edge 118. The spring members 110 each have a length in the range of 10 mm to 20 mm, preferably about 15 mm. It is advantageous to increase the length of the tongue and groove. This is because the ribs 31, 33 on the pipe ends may require the coupler to be opened more widely during assembly. The longer tongue 100 helps to ensure proper initial alignment in the tongue groove 102 in that the clamp is sufficiently closed to attach the nut to the bolt of the fastener 78.

  At the distal end 112, the spring member 110 has an undercut 120 rounded to the outer edge 118. This undercut allows the relatively long spring member to have a certain minimum width (eg, 2.5-3 mm) at its free end 114 and is suitable for the spring member as it enters the groove. Maintain an angled side edge that engages and meshes with the inner edge of the groove 102 without having a distal end that is too wide to allow inward deflection. The outer edge 118 of the spring member 110 has a composite profile that includes a first portion 122 and a second recessed portion 124 at the free end 114. The recessed portion 124 of the side edge 118 supports the initial engagement of the tongue in the groove even when the sleeve is pulled back a small amount. The unfolded portion 122 provides structural integrity to the spring member at its middle section, and provides a properly positioned and angled edge to mate with the side edges of the groove 102, thereby providing a clamping mechanism. A desired amount of contact and inward deflection of the spring member occurs during tightening. Preferably, the first section 122 of the outer edge 118 is substantially straight and forms an angle C of about 4 ° to 5 ° with respect to the centerline of the tongue. Thus, the two edges of each tongue 100 at the intermediate section 122 form a convergence angle of about 8 ° -9 °. Since the inner edge 116 of each spring member 110 forms a branch angle D with the centerline of about 6 °, the two inner edges 116 branch at an angle of about 12 °. These angles are for the spring member 110 in the original undeformed state of the spring member 110 prior to forced insertion into the groove.

  With particular reference to FIG. 8, the axial positions of the tongue 100 and the groove 102 are further inside than those of the first two embodiments. In the sleeve 66, the distance B to the nearest axial end is about one third of the total length A. This position can be moved outwards towards what is used in the first two embodiments as long as there is no significant overlap with the ribs 92 and axially to the point where B equals two-fifths of A. It is possible to move inward. Therefore, based on these three embodiments, the length B is in the range of values that satisfy the following relationship:

  Referring to FIGS. 9 and 10, a fourth embodiment is shown that may be identical to the third embodiment of FIGS. 6-8, but the seal is the only component shown in these two drawings. The sleeve 130 is different. In this embodiment, the sleeve 130 has a pair of sealing beads 132 projecting inwardly. These sealing beads 132 project radially inward at a location intermediate the portion where the two tongues and grooves engage to help ensure a hermetic seal at the joint of the pipe. Thus, the tongue and groove are on a radially flat portion of the sleeve 130 in an axial position between the sealing bead 132 and the rib 92. During clamping, the sealing bead 132 is pressed against the outer surface of the pipe end on either side of the pipe joint and deforms to some extent with suitable clamping. The sealing bead 132 preferably protrudes inwardly by about 0.3 to 0.5 mm and has an axial width of about 0.5 to 1 mm. In the cross-sectional view of FIG. 10, the widened ribs 92 are not semicircular in shape and are a pair of angled side walls 134 that extend from a radially flat section of the sleeve to a substantially flat outer wall 136. It will be appreciated that other cross-sectional shapes can be used for the rib. The small detent 138 shown in FIG. 10 is used in a known manner to set and maintain the relative angular position of the sleeve 66 and the band 62 during assembly to engage the small hole in the outer band 62. Position adjustment detent.

  Thus, it is apparent that there is provided a pipe clamp that achieves the objects and advantages specified herein in accordance with the present invention. Of course, it will be understood that the above description is of preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention and that the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments shown. Various modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. For example, the pipe and coupler ribs need not extend about the entire circumference of the component, but may extend only to a portion thereof, or may be discontinuous at one or more angular positions. In addition, although the example band and sealing sleeve shapes are shown and described as cylindrical, the cylindrical shape need not be circular or point-wise continuous curved, but open. All that is required is the general shape of the loop. All such variations and modifications are intended to be within the scope of the claims.

  As used in this specification and claims, the terms “for example”, “for instance”, and “such as”, and “comprising” , "Having", "including" and other verb forms thereof are each understood as expandable when used with a list of one or more components or other items. The list is to be understood as not excluding other additional components or items. Other terms are to be construed using their broadest reasonable meaning unless they are used in a context that requires a different interpretation.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a pair of end portions of a pipe with a rib together with a pipe coupler constructed according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of a divided sealing sleeve used in the pipe coupler of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a partial view of an intermeshing end of the divided sealing sleeve of FIG. 2. FIG. 7 is a partial view of the mating end of a second embodiment of a split sealing sleeve. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of a divided sealing sleeve along a cutting line extending axially through the pipe coupler of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a pair of ribbed pipe ends with another embodiment of a pipe coupler constructed in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 7 is an enlarged partial view of one of the tongues used in the split sealing sleeve of the coupler of FIG. FIG. 7 is a plan view of a divided sealing sleeve used in the coupler of FIG. 6 prior to being formed into a cylindrical shape. FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a split sealing sleeve including a pair of inwardly projecting sealing beads between the tongue and groove mating portions. FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the divided sealing sleeve of FIG. 9 showing the relative positions and dimensions of the ribs and sealing beads.

Claims (19)

A pipe clamp for connecting the ends of two pipes,
A band having a body portion and a pair of opposing flanges extending radially from the body portion, the body portion extending circumferentially from a first one of the flanges to a second one of the flanges And wherein the strip includes a first pair of radially outwardly projecting spaced ribs extending at least partially circumferentially along the body portion, the pipe clamp further comprising:
A split sealing sleeve having first and second ends and extending circumferentially from the first end to the second end within the band, the sleeve comprising: A second pair of spaced ribs extending at least partially between the first and second ends, wherein each second pair of ribs is a first pair of ribs. Projecting radially into one, the first and second ends including a pair of tongues spaced apart by the first ends, each of the second ends being A tongue including a pair of grooves spaced axially aligned with one of the tongues and an engaging end having a groove sealing configuration, the pipe clamp further comprising:
Connected to the strip and connected to the flange to pull the flanges toward each other, thereby tightening the pipe clamp on the end of the pipe and sealingly engaging the mating ends of the sleeve together A pipe clamp comprising a clamping mechanism including at least one fastener.   The pipe clamp of claim 1, wherein the tongue and groove of the divided sealing sleeve is between the second pair of ribs axially along a radially flat portion of the sleeve. The sleeve has an axial length A and each tongue and its associated groove has an axial center spaced a distance B from the closest axial end of the sleeve;

The pipe clamp according to claim 2, wherein

The pipe clamp according to claim 3, wherein B is

The pipe clamp of claim 4, approximately equal to   The body portion has an opening between the flanges, the second pair of split sealing sleeves and ribs extends into the opening, and the clamping mechanism is positioned between the flanges. The reaction block of claim 1, comprising a reaction block, the reaction block extending axially between the flanges in contact with a radially flat section of the sleeve between the second pair of ribs. Pipe clamp.   The pipe clamp of claim 6, wherein the reaction block includes a notch at each axial end of the reaction block, the notch extending axially over one of the second pair of ribs.   The ribs of claim 1, wherein each rib has a pair of angled side walls and a pair of substantially flat outer walls, the side walls extending from a radially flat section of the sleeve to the outer wall. Pipe clamp.   The second pair of ribs each has a width of at least 10 mm, the first pair of ribs extending across the second pair of ribs and closely along the second pair of ribs. Item 9. The pipe clamp according to item 8.   Each of the grooves includes a pair of angled side edges, each of the tongues each having an outer edge positioned to engage a corresponding one of its associated groove side edges. The pipe clamp of claim 1 comprising a pair of members.   11. Each spring member extends from a distal end of the first end of the sleeve to a free end, and the distal end of each spring member has an undercut at its outer edge. Pipe clamp.   At least one outer edge of the spring member of each tongue has a composite profile comprising a first portion in the middle section of the spring member and a second recessed portion in the free end of the spring member; The pipe clamp according to claim 10.   Each spring member has an outer edge of the composite, and the outer edge of each spring member in the first portion has a focusing angle of about 8-9 ° and is angled of the groove. The pipe clamp of claim 12, wherein the side edges have a focusing angle of about 18 °.   13. The pipe clamp of claim 12, wherein each spring member has an inner edge, and the inner edge of each tongue branches at an angle of about 12 degrees.   13. A pipe clamp according to claim 12, wherein each spring member having the composite outer edge has a length in the range of 10-20 mm.   The pipe clamp of claim 15, wherein each spring member having the composite outer edge has a length of about 15 mm.   The pipe clamp of claim 1, wherein the divided sealing sleeve includes a pair of inwardly projecting sealing beads between the grooves in the axial direction.   The pipe clamp of claim 17, wherein the sealing bead projects by about 0.3-0.5 mm and has an axial width of about 0.5-1 mm.   The pipe clamp of claim 1, wherein the flange is integral with the body portion.

Images